Glorious Dawn, with the remaining forces of the Seventh Reserve at his back, charged up the side of the trenches to the rear of the Royal Guard formation. Red Roam rushed out to meet him. “Captain!”
“Lieutenant! What’s the situation?”
“We’re to hold the rear and watch their flanks. Be prepared for a counter-push at any time. The Royal Guard is going to focus their attack while we cover their rear and push in behind them.”
Glorious Dawn spun, pausing a moment as his ponies began to arrive, and addressed the Seventh. “Spread yourselves out! We need to protect the flanks and rear while the Guard pushes in! Be ready for the enemies to sally forth to engage us!”
The ponies of the seventh reserve moved swiftly, forming up around the Royal guard’s formation. The unicorns hefted their tower shields and watched the palisade walls for griffons with crossbows. They’d only just arrived in their position when a cry went up from the front.
Legate Five Star reared up, calling for a charge, horn glowing in a blue aura as his sword raised high, and the Royal Guards pushed in hard, slamming into the defender’s lines and attacking for all they were worth. Glorious Dawn shouted over the din of battle and the charging battlecry of the Royal Guard. “Push in with them and keep them covered! Move!”
The Royal Guard broke through the front ranks of the griffons, scattering into their lines and causing havoc as they attacked savagely. The griffons’ front line faltered, threatening to break, when reinforcements rushed in from the rear, pushing back against the Royal Guard. More griffons began to stream onto the palisade walls, running along and taking up positions on the walltop, sniping down towards the Royal Guard. The Seventh Reserve’s unicorns retaliated with magical counter-attacks, multicolored blasts of arcane energy forcing the shooters back and suppressing them.
Legate Five Star joined the fight at the front, his horn smoking as explosive pyrotechnics staggered foes. The forward momentum of the Royal Guard gained momentum, and they pushed past the gate.
All at once, the griffons hunkered down on the wall tops leapt down at the command of an unseen leader, streaming over the side in groups and rushing the flanks and rear of the Royal Guard.
“Here they come!” shouted Glorious Dawn, horn flaring as he cooked a charging griffon in his armor. Swords and spears raised, the Seventh Reserve met their charge. Griffon warriors leapt over the thin front lines, attacking into their midst. The melee joined in earnest as griffons continued to leap from the palisade wall and into the fray.
Red Roam held the right flank, fighting alongside Shield Bearer and Slight and a number of other ponies. The unicorns were forced to discard their tower shields as the fighting grew close, abandoning the cumbersome defense for greater use of their magical abilities. Mana crackled and surged as a unicorn’s telekinesis exploded outward in a fierce blast, sending several griffons flying backwards. Red Roam took the opportunity to counter the charge, leaping in among the griffons, bucking and slashing wildly. His hooves shattered wings and skulls, and his sword left his opponents bleeding from wide gashes. Shield Bearer and Slight rushed in alongside him, covering his flank as he attacked, taking targets of opportunity as they presented themselves. A stunned griffon with a snapped wing fell prey to Slight’s blades, and Shield Bearer buried his spear in a mortally wounded griffon, finishing it off as it rose to make a desparate final attack against Red Roam’s flank. A unicorn joined them, calling as his horn smoked and overheated from the discharge of energy, “Fall back into the formation! They’re closing on you!”
Red Roam heard the call and pulled himself back from his latest opponent, panting around his gripped weapon. He was bleeding from several cuts and slashes, and his legs felt weary and sore from the bucking. He retreated back into the formation, Shield Bearer and Slight holding off another wave of griffons. The unicorn’s aura sputtered as he blasted a griffon in the face with a magical burst, and he nearly collapsed, his telekinesis weakening as he overexerted himself. Shield Bearer dashed to his aid, fending off a griffon warrior as Slight grabbed the unicorn and hauled him backwards.
Shield Bearer gave ground strategically, letting the flow of the fight push him back towards their ranks as he fought defensively. The griffon warrior lashed out, striking him across his side, and he grunted as he felt the bandage loosen and the wound beneath reopen. He staggered back, Slight dashing forward to cover him, but the Griffon pressed his advantage, claw-blade thrusting in hard as he reared up and attacked at a downward angle. The blade sheared across the brow of Shield Bearer’s helmet and down into his face, tearing through his muzzle and shattering his jaw with the force of the hit. Shield Bearer fell backwards, yelling, as Slight attacked the griffon warrior, pushing him back. Shield Bearer managed to get to his feet, but a second griffon warrior fell upon him, blades slashing and blood flying.
Slight stumbled backwards into the formation as unicorns and earth ponies pushed forward slightly, pushing away her pursuers to give her room to recover as she stood, panting. “Shield Bearer?!”
She spotted him, then, on the ground, lying in a spreading pool of blood. Slight choked back a whimper, turning away from the sight, and rejoined the fight.
On the left flank, Glorious Dawn’s horn smoked with ethereal energy as he heated opponent’s weapons and shot blasts of arcane power into the midst of his enemies. Two other unicorns stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, bursts of magic shattering any griffon to come too close to their lethal Captain. Earth ponies on either side shifted their attention to the disarmed griffons that Glorious Dawn left in his wake, attacking them as they scrambled to defend. Their talons were still deadly, as were their beaks, but without blades they found the Equestrian armor tough to puncture effectively.
An earth pony soldier galloped over to Glorious Dawn. “Captain! The right flank is hard pressed! They need assistance, or they might break!”
Glorious Dawn stepped out of his place, looking to the right flank. They were hemmed in, griffons pressing them as they gave ground and the lines wavered, ponies falling under the combined onslaught. He grit his teeth and charged to the right, calling for able ponies to follow. A few earth ponies and a unicorn joined his shifting maneuver, charging into the weak point of the formation on the right flank. Three griffons burst through the formation as a unicorn dropped to the dirt, bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds, attacking the flanks of the defending ponies around the hole in the ranks. Glorious Dawn met them, horn glowing as the three griffons found their armor glowing red hot, feathers igniting. They screamed in horror as they immolated, their shrieking bodies giving the attacking griffons pause. The hesitation was all Glorious Dawn needed. He leapt into the open hole in the formation, the earth ponies and unicorn joining him, and his magic burst forth, pushing nearby griffons back.
Glorious Dawn raised his sword high. “Push them back!”
Red Roam charged forward, the right flank moving as a unit, and slammed into the off-balanced griffon force, bringing the fight’s momentum into their favor. Now it was the griffons that gave ground, fighting desperately. Red Roam engaged an enemy fighter, the griffon stepping back as Roam slashed at him, sword bouncing off his armor. The griffon attacked, screeching, only to find Slight stepping into his side and driving her blade into his haunch. The griffon stumbled and Slight pressed her attack, pulling her weapon free and driving it into his belly. The griffon fell and Red Roam stepped over his body.
Glorious Dawn paused, watching the enemy formation break and run, and he cheered. “Hold the advance! Fall back to cover the rear of the Royal Guard!”
The Royal Guard themselves were pushed fully into the palisade’s gate, taking to the walls and pushing the defenders off the palisade. The front ranks of the griffons were staging an orderly retreat, and the Royal Guard held their attack, letting them disengage. The griffons fell back quickly, re-forming ranks as the unicorns at the fore of the Royal Guard unit unleashed blasts of magic on their front lines. The griffons wavered and fell back again, and Legate Five Star called for a charge. “Let’s drive them out!”
The Royal Guard moved in, charging towards the faltering formation. The griffon formation turned with sudden speed, meeting their assault and clashing yet again.
The Seventh Reserve pushed in to the rear of the Royal Guard’s formation. Glorious Dawn was panting heavily, exhausted from his magic use, and Red Roam was similarly winded, bleeding from a few injuries and sore from glancing blows. The two friends rallied the remaining Seventh Reserve to them, taking a short minute to assess their strength. A little over fifty ponies remained standing. Many were injured and weakened. Red Roam looked to Glorious Dawn, scowling. “Well, we held.”
“That we did. It seems the Royal Guard is pushing them out, so we should summon the healers, quickly.”
Red Roam gestured to a nearby unicorn, who raised his weary head high and released a dazzling flare of magic skyward.
“I’m startled at the organization of their retreat,” Glorious Dawn said, gesturing forward to the griffon formation that had fallen back yet again, drawing the Royal Guard onward.
“Something’s off,” muttered Red Roam, peering into the darkness.
He grabbed the unicorn and gestured to the West. “Fire another, brighter, flare over that way. Let’s see what’s over there.”
The unicorn grumbled, horn flashing again, as he sent a bright flare of magic into the sky to the West. The black edges of the terrain behind the palisade lit up, exposing the bluffs…
The bluffs, and a company of griffon soldiers approaching in the darkness, moving for the gate.
Red Roam and Glorious Dawn gawked at the approaching wave of troops, and stood up. “Rally! To me! To me, Seventh Reserve!”
The soldiers leapt to their commanding officers, forming around them, desperation in their eyes as the company of griffons formed a spearhead formation and broke into a charge, rushing right for them.
The Royal Guard force spotted the approaching enemy company and Legate Five Star looked back to the rear, to the ragged Seventh Company as the formed a tight square formation, bracing themselves for the onslaught. He looked to the front and then pulled back, shifting out to his right. “Royal Guards, shift formation West and charge!”
The royal guards engaged against the retreating company of griffons broke away as the whole of the formation moved as one, and Legate Five Star lead the charge into the flank of the new company of griffons. The Royal Guards slammed into the spearhead formation, pressing their attack. Their own flank was hit as the previously engaged company of griffons charged in against them. The square formation broke apart into a swirling melee of combat, the Royal Guards engaging along both fronts.
Glorious Dawn stared at the Royal Guard’s counter attack. “They… saved us.”
“Yes, sir! Now let’s get in there and take advantage of their distraction before they get overrun!” shouted Red Roam.
Glorious Dawn shook his head, clearing the disbelief from his features, and nodded. “Seventh Company, charge!”
The Seventh Company roared, charging for the flank of the nearest company of griffons.